Arkadyuti Bandyopadhyay

“For folks new to the indie horror genre, be sure to get No, I’m Not a Human and try it out – it offers a unique experience like nothing else, and it isn’t that long of a game either. For established indie and horror fans, No I’m Not a Human isn’t a title that belongs to the Steam wishlist – it’s one for the Steam library.”

“Static Dread is one of the most unique indies that I’ve played this year. The game takes analog horror to heights never imagined before while ensuring the story is interesting enough to keep players hooked.”

“Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition feels more like a repackaging than a true upgrade. While the Definitive Edition retains the qualities that make Dawn of War a beloved RTS, it doesn’t introduce meaningful innovations in gameplay. The changes focus mostly on updated visuals and audio, which may not feel substantial for returning players. For newcomers who never owned the original, this version is serviceable, but for veterans, it may not justify the purchase.”

“Zombie Army VR is a VR game released in a crowded market of zombie shooters that fails to establish itself as unique in any way (beyond the VR aspect). The game lacks polish, and VR interactions aren’t really the best. The world looks extremely dull and can make players throw up even when they aren’t being gargled down by a bunch of horny zombies. Considering other Rebellion titles, I expected more polish, but that’s much better said than done. This isn’t a game I’d recommend picking up unless it shows drastic improvement with constant updates to the core mechanics of the game.”

“Pilo and the Holobook is a fun game made primarily for children. However, the game has a decent amount of content for adults who wish to invest themselves in it to get a break from their monotonous work routine. The game stays minimalistic and fresh, yet might not fit the taste of every player who wants to get into it.”

“Deck of Haunts is a unique take on the card-based roguelite genre that started spawning after Slay the Spire‘s commercial success. It’s a very addictive game – I found myself losing hours as I played through multiple runs, trying to count down to Day 28. Players who do not like card-based mechanics in their games should stay away, as this game has cards (a lot of them), and a lot of spooky ones at that.”

“Fabledom is a city-building game that borrows heavily from the positive points of previous AAA games yet has its own unique twist and setting to make it stand alone. The game offers some fantastic city-building mechanics to players who are new to the genre, and some well-deserved nostalgia for older fans.”

“Bulwark Falconeer Chronicles is a city-building game slightly different than the other ones of its genre. It tries to carve its own niche with in-depth world-building and a post-apocalyptic theme that blends very well with its various elements (like graphics and sound). Tomas Sala has created another masterpiece – one that deserves to be played by most people who are into strategy and/or simulation games.”

“Howl is a masterpiece in writing that takes the features from basic games like chess, adds a touch of childhood nostalgia, and supercharges it with card-based mechanics. There’s very little left to flaw here with this game. The game is quite cheap on the PlayStation store and is definitely worth a try. Players having a PlayStation Plus subscription are encouraged to download the game trial and give it a go – one session should be enough to make one take the nostalgia train back to the time when they were children.”

“The Valiant is a strategy game marred with a number of problems. Players have the option of avoiding it or picking it up on a sale if they really want to try it out. The game brings back unhappy memories of Dawn of War 2 and how badly it failed, even though The Valiant does have some positive points to write home in its favor including its historical setting. Nevertheless, this is definitely not the game I’ll recommend if someone asks me for strategy game recommendations at a party.”

“Pharaoh is a fun city-building simulation that is challenging to understand, but very rewarding when players manage to pull it off. It is definitely one of those games where players will either spend an hour and quit, or continue to play until the major half of a day is over. Players looking for a challenge and don’t have a problem with the dated graphics should definitely try this out.”

“Land of the Vikings is a nice little city-building game that rediscovers the genre with an added taste of strategy and micro-management. It might not be the best game of its genre, but it is guaranteed to give you hours of fun if you decide to press the “Buy” button.”

“Dune: Spice Wars is perfectly poised to be the meta-defining 4X real-time strategy game in the market. However, the lacklustre amount of game content as well as the repetitive gameplay does hurt the game’s replayability. There also seem to be some performance issues, albeit mild, which hinder the player’s experience. I would definitely recommend waiting out for a sale for this one if you are really keen on trying out another new addition to the strategy genre. If you’re not a big fan of strategy games and just wanted to try the game out because it’s set in the Dune universe, I’d reckon you’d have to look elsewhere.”

“Medieval Dynasty tries really hard to become the simulation cum survival RPG that people want it to be – and despite a few flaws here and there, does manage it quite well (if you manage to forget the RPG aspect of it). If you want to flex your creative mind organizing a living, functioning village from scratch – this game should certainly be up your alley. But if you want a pure RPG that wants to stand apart from the masses with some different mechanics – be sure to look elsewhere.”